The Cornflower Witch Chapter 76

Chapter 76: Oath of the Standing Sword

Step by step, Hylial climbed the steep slope, occasionally having to use her hands to grip the rocks to scale them and continue upwards.

After more than half an hour of climbing, Hylial finally reached the last colorful bubble. The grass here was a faint green, unlike the unchanging withered weeds in the gray-white world.

The rocks on the mountain had eroded due to the wind, scattering a few dust particles. The area offered an open view, with no space for monsters to hide and no anomalous twisted features.

Overall, it was quite good, Hylial thought with emotion, then her gaze turned to a sword stuck in the cliff face.

The sword was iron-gray, like a weathered rock, and it should have had writing engraved on it, but now it was blurred and illegible.

Hylial slowly walked towards the sword and gripped its hilt. The solidified power of the ‘Castle’ phase within it instantly spread, once again washing over the area and pushing back the gray-white world.

So, this is how this colorful bubble was formed, all thanks to this sword, Hylial observed intently.

[Weathered Iron Sword] (Castle): An ancient sword in the stone. A king of old once swore an oath by plunging this sword into the stone, declaring that all lands reflected in its cold light would be part of his kingdom. (Solidifies environment, expels other phase powers)

She ran her hand over the hilt, and the ‘Castle’ phase power emanating from it occasionally spread, making Hylial feel as if she was bathed in the wind, dispelling her previous fatigue. The unique way the power within the sword operated slowly became clear to her and was etched into her memory.

About forty minutes later, Hylial slowly released the sword hilt, and a realization emerged in her mind.

[Sword-Standing Method] (Castle): Those with the ‘Level 3 – Castle’ phase can swear an oath with a sword, encompassing the surrounding land, turning it into their fief, isolated from the erosion of other phases.

Although she couldn’t use it, this secret knowledge was undoubtedly extremely precious.

Because it was already weathered, she couldn’t take the sword with her. If she were to forcibly pull it out, it would likely break on the spot, and the ‘Castle’ phase power condensed within it would quickly dissipate.

Having such a safe spot was a rare opportunity, so Hylial decided to rest here for a while and take a nap.

…

Hylial arranged a clean rock surface not far from the sword in the stone, then slowly lay down to recover from the fatigue of trekking through the gray-white world and replenish her consumed phase power.

In her dream, she seemed to see a very distant past, where a group of people also came here. They wore cloaks and chainmail, their faces weathered, as if they had just come from a battlefield.

“Knight Holen, should we continue forward? We are already deep in the Shadow World here.” A follower asked the leading knight.

“We continue forward.”

The knight in black armor spoke firmly, making the wavering few abandon any thoughts of retreating.

They were all warriors possessing the ‘Castle’ phase power. Knight Holen, their leader, was likely Level 4 and very powerful. Hylial watched him wield a large greatsword, effortlessly slaying a monstrous creature as tall as a mountain. Its gushing black blood could have filled a pond.

From the boiling black mist, the knight slowly emerged, his resolute face unwavering. An insignia of a ‘Fir’ tree adorned his arm, indicating his affiliation with the ‘Fir Knights’.

This team traveled through various colorful bubble-shrouded areas in the gray-white world, slaying every monster they encountered along the way. These included multi-headed flying snakes, bird-footed humanoids that could speak, and one-eyed flying slugs. Most of them were grotesquely twisted and possessed bizarre and varied abilities.

But none of these abilities could affect Knight Holen. His strong ‘Castle’ phase power acted like armor, protecting him and enabling him to overcome these strange creatures one by one.

They won battle after battle, yet grew increasingly weary.

Traveling through the gray-white world was a tremendous drain, even for Knight Holen, a ‘Level 4 – Castle’ phase user.

This kind of exhaustion was extremely difficult to recover from in this world. Because of this, Knight Holen had to conserve his strength, no longer fighting with the unbridled aggression he had shown at first.

They were searching for a target, or rather, pursuing an enemy who had fled into this world: a powerful hag who had once terrorized the mountain forests.

These hags mostly specialized in ‘Sleepy Winter’ or ‘Nightmare’ phase powers, possessing various诡异 secret arts. Some could easily confuse and manipulate others.

After a long search and arduous journey, Knight Holen finally arrived at the hag’s hiding place deep in the mountains.

“You dare to chase me here.”

The hag’s face was bony and emaciated, but her skeletal frame was tall, over 2 meters. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much flesh on her bones, giving her bird-like limbs. She held a peculiar skull in one hand and pinched some powder with the other.

The hag blew, and the powder became crystalline dust, floating up and then turning into black serpents that coiled around her, occasionally flicking blood-red tongues and revealing hidden fangs.

Knight Holen and his two remaining attendants drew their swords and charged at the last remaining hag. She let out an eerie laugh, then the black serpents burrowed into the skull in her hand, seemingly devouring something, before emerging again.

At once, the black serpents dramatically swelled, becoming enormous. Their plump bodies were thicker than water barrels, and their raised heads displayed fierce malevolence.

They pounced, directly swallowing the two attendants and clamping down on Knight Holen’s body. Their fangs slowly corroded the black armor, gradually seeping into his flesh and blood.

Knight Holen fought valiantly. He used all his strength to plunge his sword into the side of the black serpent’s neck, then activated its power.

The edge of steel glowed, cutting off the source of the black serpent’s power. Soon, the serpent’s head fell lifelessly, its entire skull torn open by Knight Holen.

The powerful knight lifted the massive serpent’s body with one hand, then dragged and threw it down the mountain. He picked up his severely damaged greatsword and once again advanced towards the hag on the slope.

“You’re at your wit’s end. No reinforcements, no one will care if you die here. No one will erect a monument for you, and your spirit after death will not ascend to heaven. In the end, you’ll become food for my pet.” The hag cackled menacingly at the knight.

She gestured again, and the black serpent’s corpse, which had fallen into the mountains, transformed into crystal mist and then reassembled into a black serpent, once again coiling around her.

“See? That’s powerful magic, something you blockheads will never learn!” She mocked the knight’s foolishness.

“Fall, you brute.” She blew through her purplish-black lips, and an invisible current surged towards Knight Holen.

At that moment, two small black serpents sprang from the wounds on Knight Holen’s body, where the large black serpent had bitten him. Half of their bodies were embedded in Knight Holen’s flesh and blood, while the other half writhed and flicked their tongues, looking exceptionally malevolent.

The two small black serpents were devouring the life force and blood from Knight Holen’s body. Because they were born from within him, even the protection of his ‘Castle’ phase power struggled to shield him.

The knight’s steps on the mountain slope became increasingly unsteady and difficult. He stumbled occasionally, falling to one knee, his exhausted body unable to maintain balance.

As the hag said, he was at his wit’s end, on his last leg.

But…

What did that matter?

He had long made a vow to follow his monarch, to cleanse the mountains of filth and evil.

To carve out a new kingdom on the edge of the twisted, encroaching mist.

The heavy greatsword was

raised once more, then inverted and plunged into the rock with his last ounce of strength.

‘May our kingdom be evergreen like the fir trees. May our knights’ armor always be firm, and their swords forever sharp.’

The ancient oath resonated, and the knight’s destiny shattered. The scattered fragments, imbued by the sword, poured into this land. Invisible light spread, and a rising pillar of light for the first time dispelled the incredibly thick clouds. At the edge of the vast sky, the enormous serpent writhed on a sea of clouds, and threads of light shone through its body into this forgotten corner.

(End of this chapter)